Teen kills granny, gouges out her eyes

AN 18-year-old boy of Chililabombwe has been arrested for allegedly murdering his 62-year-old grandmother, removing her eyes and burying her in a shallow grave.

The boy was arrested after a tip-off from a witch doctor where he had gone to seek protection against being haunted by his dead grandmother.

After explaining his gruesome story, the alert witch doctor tipped the police officers and this led to the arrest of the teenager.

Copperbelt Commissioner of police, Elias Chushi confirmed the incident which happened on Friday, last week and said the suspect had been arrested for allegedly murdering his grandmother.

“The suspect has been arrested for allegedly killing his grandmother, removing her eyes and later buried her in a shallow grave within the yard,’’ Mr Chushi said.

Mr Chushi said the boy, who was staying with her grandmother on the material day gruesomely stabbed her with a sharp instrument, gouged out her eyes and buried her in a shallow grave within the yard.

He was however apprehended after the alert witch doctor tipped the police officers about the murder.

Mr Chushi said the suspect later led the police to the scene where his grandmother’s body was exhumed from the shallow grave.

“We commend the witchdoctor for his unique role he played in helping the police and the public to arrest the suspect. We are calling on other members of the public to emulate such an action,’’ he said

He said the suspect was in police custody and would appear in court soon.

HARARE - Players in the agriculture sector have been urged to consider and invest more in castor bean production as it can boost the economic fortunes of the country through bio-diesel production.

Bio-diesel is a liquid mixture of free fatty acids with similar properties to diesel. The name comes from the fact that the diesel is produced from renewable oils and not from fossil crude oil.

Oil Castor (Pvt) Limited co-founder Al Silva, said investing in castor bean production for bio-diesel is a way to boost economic development.He said that he is using his resources in the petroleum business in Canada to assist Zimbabwe reach independent energy status using bio-diesel and bio-motor oil.

“We are killing ourselves in Zimbabwe, currently motor oil is being processed from plastic bags in United Arab Emirates and being sold to us here in Zimbabwe. So when we drive our cars we are inhaling deadly toxins.

“This combined with fossil fuel diesel, the roads of Zimbabwe are unbearable with so much pollution.

“There is a better way. Using bio-diesel and biomotor oil, we will reduce our foreign currency spending on foreign fuels, and spend it on our rural farmers. Our bio-diesel is smoke-less and only omits organic odours,” he said.

Currently Oil Castor Limited has 650 active farmers in Rwanda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Djibouti, Lesotho, Botswana, Morocco, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Dubai, Seychelles, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Kuwait, Namibia, Congo and Zambia

Many African countries are adopting bio-fuels, setting aside vast tracts of land for the plantation of bio-fuel crops.– THE HERALD, Zimbabwe.

Dear Editor

ALLOW me to appreciate the initiative to offer health promotion advert in local languages, specifically in Bemba which airs on both Diamond and ZNBC TV.

However, let me express my environmental health concern in what may appear to be normal but serves the greatest public health concern. In the advert, you will observe cows coming to drink water at the borehole a situation capable to transmit Zoonotic Deadly diseases such as Anthrax a disease worse than Covid 19.

By standard all drinking water points should be fenced so that you deny animal access. May the owner of the borehole which appears in that video take a quick response even as the maker of the clip do a quick edit. For now I call the stoppage of airing that clip.

With the coming of Covid-19, I wish to encourage the Minister of Labour to ensure that all working places should employ their own Environmental Health Practitioner to

Look after preventive health and safety of workers at places of works.

RABBSON WAMENE WA DAKA,

Luangwa Feira Extension